Battle of Wilderness

By: Peter Will

Setting• The battle was fought on the morning of May 5, 1864 through the 7th of May

• It was located in Spotsylvania and Orange Counties, Virginia

• The weather was just as typical as any other Spring day in Virginia

Goals• Confederate General Robert E. Lee hoped to push the Union forces back to prevent from

further advancement.

Union General Ulysses S. Grant planned on making the confederate soldiers fall back.

Leadership• Robert E. Lee and his men knew they were outnumbered and were willing to fight anyway

because they believed in the cause and in their leader.

• Ulysses S. Grant knew he had more men and thought he would win the battle easily, but he never let his solders know that, he told them they would need to fight hard, the confederates were going to be sneaky, and try tactics none of us have ever seen before, his most popular battle cry heading into this battle was: “Be prepared.”

Tactics• The Confederate Army was clearly outnumbered so conventional fighting was not going to

happen that often

• The Confederate soldiers had to use Guerilla Warfare strategy to even have a chance.

• The Union had many more soldiers so they could fight the way they were accustomed to and still take minimal damage.

• Confederates started with 61,000 soldiers and lost 11,400 men.

• The Union started with 102,000 and lost 18,400 men.

• The Union’s weapons were far superior to the weapons of the Confederates.

• The intelligence gathered from either side did not help with the outcome.

Significance/Results• The results of the battle were inconclusive, however Grant continued to march forward.

• This battle was significant because it was the first battle fought between Grant and Lee, and was the first sign that Grant was out to destroy everything.

• About 17% of men from both sides lost their lives.

• Neither side really “won” the battle.